An advocacy group is hiring students as on-campus promoters of Israel.
StandWithUs is offering up to $1,000 a year this semester to 38 Emerson fellows, Jewish student leaders at key colleges and universities targeted by the organization. Their duties will include bringing in speakers and films that show Israel in a positive light.
College campuses are the place where many American youth form their life-long political convictions and alliances. Therefore it is crucial for Jews opposed to Zionism to get their message out there. Jewish college students are usually faced with the choice of either associating with practicing Jews and adopting a Zionist stance, or associating with non-Jews or secular Jews who are more critical of Zionism. It would be very important for them to learn that traditional Judaism does not support Zionism, and that there are very many anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews. Non-Jewish students must also hear our message so that they internalize the distinction between the original Jewish religion and the Zionist distortion of it.